Rap on the Hot 100: The Throne, Tyga, Drizzy, more

Almost every week, I make it a routine to head over to Billboard.com, and see which songs have made it out of our little world of blogs and Hulkshare links, to the exclusive radio playlists. It's always interesting; you can track trends, see who's hot out in the real world, see what newcomers are breaking through, etc. For those of you who love Kids Wasting Time (who doesn't?) and can't be bothered to make the long trek over to the icky, mainstream Billboard.com, I've got you. Good or bad, every week we're gonna look at the top 10 rap hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Trust me, you're gonna enjoy yourself. This week, The Throne holds it down, but the Young Money dynasty isn't far behind.



Hit the jump to fulfill all your wildest dreams.



1.) Jay-Z and Kanye- "N----s in Paris" [7]


Only pop gods Katy Perry, Adele, LMFAO, Flo Rida, Bruno Mars, and Rihanna sit higher than God MC and Yeezy this week, who have slid a little from their peak at #5. Hate all you want, but playing this over and over on tour seemed to do just the opposite of the expected result. Instead of oversaturing the market, it turned the American population into Blades of Glory-quoting addicts. These guys have it all figured out. Look for a video to release sometime around when this shit starts sliding out of the Top 10. I don't know why, but literally every time I hear this I'm impressed that the clean version isn't that much worse than the explicit real one.


2.) Tyga - "Rack City" [8]


Bada bing bada boom, Tyga's "Rack City" jumped from "BMF"/"I'm a Boss" hit status to real-deal, crossover, white-teenage-girls know the lyrics hit status. That might not seem like that big a jump, but it certainly is. That's a jump from a niche market to the mainstream cultural conversation. How exactly did Tyga do it? Other than the dope skeletal beat, and his catchy and punchy delivery? Shooting multiple videos certainly didn't hurt, or his profile raising turn in "The Motto" video. Plus, with remixes on the way too, Tyga's spot in the Top 10 is fairly safe. Does it mean he's reached the upper echelon of YM? Unfortunately for him, no, not yet. Instead, it means he's got a release date, and a hell of a lot more ears hearing his music. Not to mention, stuffy British newspapers will now write articles about Mr. Tyga, the American rapper. That's the dream.

3.) Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa - "Young, Wild and Free" (feat. Bruno Mars) [9]


Let Bruno Mars and co. produce, and let him sing the hook and you've got yourself a hit. Sad but true. I will never, ever watch Mac & Devin Win Most Razzies of All-Time, or whatever the fuck it's called. If you were planning on seeing it, check out Mr. Khalifa's acting, and allow yourself some time to reconsider.

4.) Big Sean - "Dance (A$$)" (feat. Nicki Minaj) [11]


I didn't realize how solid rap was faring on the charts this week. In at #11 on the Hot 100, Sean and Nicki. It's amazing what Nicki's ass in your video can accomplish. Don't hate though, this shit is catchy as fuck. I just wish "Marvin Gaye & Chardonnay" had blown up as big as it should've.

5.) J. Cole - "Work Out" [13]


Another peak this week for J. Cole, who's been stuck in the mid-teens now for a bit. It begs the question though: how good does J. Cole feel these days? His Youtube comments went from "dope lyrics but he'll never get on the radio" to "WTF this plays every fucking second kill me now!!1!". That is a beautiful leap. Up and off the sidelines.

6.) Drake - "The Motto" (feat. Lil Wayne) [20]


A great track, and a dope video. I'd really like to know how big-budget, balling-ass rappers get their cars to drive along beside them. There's no way in hell they used the ol' brick trick. Maybe a brick of cocaine? A pound of caviar? Common's head? This record has shown pretty great staying power, still hanging around its peak area of #18 on the Hot 100. I wrote about the song already, and you can find that here, if you're interested.

7.) Drake - "Headlines" [25]


This was playing in the pool today while I was swimming. Not that you care, but still. A lot of songs in the low twenties are just picking up steam, but the lead single off Take Care is enjoying a slow slide to the end of the charts, where all recent-but-not-new hits go to die.

8.) Drake - "Make Me Proud" (feat. Nicki Minaj) [31]


3 in a row? That Take Care was tough. This one, which peaked just inside the top 10 at #9, is enjoying a similar slide to Headlines.

9.) Drake - "Take Care" (feat. Rihanna) [39]


This is getting out of hand... This joint also peaked at #9. When they finally shoot the video for this, prepare for these two pop gods to enjoy a nice bounce back to the top. Well that's four in a row, so I'll include a shameless plug: read what I wrote about Take Care, here.

10.) Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass" [43]


Mmm. Not a very exciting end to our list here. This is another fading hit, one that's passed its prime.

Just outside of our 10, was Wale at #44 with "Lotus Flower Bomb" and B.o.B with "Strange Clouds", two songs I very much prefer over Nicki's single. Look out for another breakdown of rap on the Hot 100 later on in the week, as these things usually get published on Wednesday/Thursday, and I was late with this one. "Strange Clouds"  might just bully it's way in there, as its remix is on the way. Peace.

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